Loose-leaf binder



A. RUBIN.

LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. [919.

1,334,406. Patented Mar. 23,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPI-I RUBIN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO SIEBER PRODUCTS MFG. CO., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

Application filed February 26, 1919. Serial No. 279,279.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLrH RUBIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in LoosaLeaf Binders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. a

This invention relates to loose leaf binders of the kind that are provided with tapes, bands or cords of flexible material for retaining the loose leaves in position, and particularly to binders of the type that are used for ledgers and other large books containing a great many loose leaves and which comprise a back made of metal or other rigid material.

The loose leaf binders of the particular type referred to which have heretofore been devised cannot be opened out as flat as a flexible back binder, owing to the fact that the rigid metal back holds the tapes so taut when the binder is open that the interme diate leaves cannot move upwardly sufliciently to cause the rear edges of the leaves of the book to assume the shape of an arc. Such binders also necessitate the use of loose leaves provided with relatively deep or wide rear edge margins, in view of the fact that the portions of the leaves in proximity to the binding tapes, particularly the intermediate leaves, are so disposed when the binder is open that it is extremely diilicult to write on said ortions.

One 0 ject of my invention is to provide a practicable loose leaf binder for lodgers and other large books containing a great many leaves, which is equipped with a back that has sufficient rigidity to hold the book in shape and which is so constructed that the leaves can open out flat or in substantially the same manner as the leaves of a binder provided with a back formed of farbrie or other flexible material.

Another object is to provide a loose leaf binder having a back formed of metal or other suitable rigid material and constructed in such a manner that the binder can be successfully used with loose leaves provided with relatively narrow or shallow rear edge margins.

And still another object is to provide a loose leaf binder in which the leaf clamping members can move relatively to the back when the binder is opened into a position in which they do not form bends in the leaves or interfere with the leaves lying flat. Other objects and desirable features of my invention. will be hereinafter pointed out.

To this end I have devised a loose leaf binder comprising tapes or hands of flexible material that pass transversely through the leaves and a back composed of a plurality of sections or members formed of metal or other suitable rigid material and pivotally connected together in such a manner that the back as an entirety is capable of flexing or bending sufiiciently when the binder is opened to slacken the tapes enough to allow the leaves to assume substantially the same position. as the leaves of a binder provided with a flexible back formed of fabric, leather or similar material. The leaves are held tightly clamped together by leaf clamping members carried by the back of the binder, and while it is immaterial, so far as my broad idea is concerned, how theleaf clamping members are mounted on the back, I prefer to mount said leaf clamping members in such a. manner that they can move relatively to the back when the binder is opened into such a position that they do not form bends in the leaves or prevent the leaves from lying flat or assuming a substantially horizontal position.

Figure 1 of the drawings is an end elevational view of a book equipped with a loose leaf binder constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the hook closed.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the book open.

Fig. 3 is asimilar view, illustrating another form of my invention.

Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the book illustrated in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view, illustrating still another form of my invention.

My improved loose leaf binder comprises two leaf clamping members A and A between which the loose leaves B of a book are arranged, a plurality of tapes or hands C of flexible material that pass transversely through slots in the leaves B, and thus re' tain the leaves in operative position, and a winding shaft D for drawing the tapes 0 taut so as to cause the leaf clamping mem bers A and A to clamp the rear edge portions of the leaves together, said winding shaft being normally locked so as to prevent it from turning in a direction to release or slacken the tapes C. The particular construction of the winding shaft and the locking mechanism for said shaft form no part of my present invention and may be of any preferred form or construction.

Instead of providing the binder with a rigid back that holds the leaf clamping members in the same spaced relation, both when the binder is open and closed, I have provided my improved binder with a back that is composed of a plurality of rigid sections which are hinged together or pi otally connected together in such a manner that the back as an entlrety has sufficient flexibility to permit the leaf clamping members to move toward each other when the book is opened, and thus slacken the tapes sufficiently to permit the leaves to assume such a position that the rear edges of the leaves form an are. In other words, the back of my improved binder has suflicient rigidity and strength to hold the book in shape, even when the book is composed of a large number of leaves, but it permits the intermediate leaves to move upwardly and spread out substantially flat in practically the same manner as the leaves of a binder provided with a flexible back formed of fabric, leather or other similar material. This characteristic of my binder is illustrated clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein it will be noted that the leaf clamping members are closer together when the binder is open than when the binder is closed.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1 the back of the binder is composed of two sections E and E that are hinged together or pivotally connected together by a pintle 1 that extends longitudinally of the back between cooperating ears or bearings 2 on the adjacent edges of the sections E and E, said bearings being staggered and arranged in interlocking engagement with each other in substantially the same manner as the pintle receiving portions on the leaves of a hinge. The sections E and E are provided at their free edges with flanges 3, and the covers F and F of the binder are pivotally connected to said flanges 3 by pintles at that pass through cooperating bearing portions 5 and 5 on the covers and on the flanges 3, respectively.

The leaf clamping members A and A are substantially angle shaped in cross sec tion, so as to provide a-portion on each of 'said leaf clamping members that laps over the rear edges of the leaves arranged adjacent the covers, and said leaf clamping members are preferably connected to the sections E and E of the back in such a manner that they can turn into such a position when the binder is opened that the portions of said leaf clamping members which bear against the outside leaves will extend in the same general direction in which the leaves extend, and thus not form bends in the leaves or prevent the leaves from lying fiat. One convenient way of mounting the leaf clamping members A and A is to provide said members with bearing portions 5 through which the pintles 4; pass, thus causing said members to be hinged to or roekably mounted on the back of the binder. lVhen the binder is opened the portions of the leaf clamping members that bear against the rear edges of the leaves tend to exert upward pressure on the leaves, and thus cause them to spread out flat.

It is immaterial how many sections are used to form the back of the binder, and in instances where the binder is designed for use with books composed, of an exceedingly large number of loose leaves, it is desirable to construct the back of four sections, as shown in Fig. 3, namely, two outer seetions E andE and two intermediate sections E and E all of said sections being hinged together or pivotally connected together in such a manner that the back can l'lex or bend sufficiently when the binder is opened to shorten the distance between the leaf clamping members, and thus slacken the tapes enough to allow the leaves to assume such a position that the rear edges of same form an are.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated still another form of my invention, wherein the back of the book is composed of one intermediate section E and two side sections E and E, all of which are pivotally connected or hinged together.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A loose leaf binder, comprising leaf clamping members, tapes or bands of flexible material that pass transverselythrough the leaves and cause said clamping members to hold the leaves clamped tightly together, and a back supporting said leaf- N A loose leaf binder, comprising a back composed of a plurality of rigid sections pivotally connected together intermediate the side edges of the back leaf clamping members pivotally mounted on said back, and a tape or band of flexible material that passes transversely through the leaves and causes said leaf clamping members to hold the leaves tightly clamped.

4. A loose leaf binder, comprising a back composed of a plurality of rigid sections pivotally connected together, and leaf clamping members hinged to said back.

5. A loose leaf binder, comprising a back composed of a plurality of rigid sections hinged together intermediate the longitudinal side edges of the back, covers hinged to said back, pivotally mounted leaf clamping members carried by the back, and a flexible tape or band that passes transversely through the leaves and causes the leaf clamping members to hold the leaves clamped tightly together.

6. A loose leaf binder, comprising a back composed of a plurality of rigid sections pivotally connected together, covers, pintles that pass through cooperating bearings on said back and covers for hinging the covers to the back, and leaf clamping members rockably mounted on said pintles.

7. A loose leaf binder provided with a back composed of two side sections formed of rigid material, leaf-clamping members carried by said side sections and means arranged between said side sections and ivotally connected to same for holding 1; cm in spaced relation when the binder is closed and for permitting them to move toward each other when the binder is opened.

8. A loose leaf binder provided with a back formed of rigid material and composed of two side sections and a plurality of intermediate sections, all of which are pivotally connected together by hin es extending longitudinally of the bad and leaf-clamping members carried by said side sections.

9. A loose leaf binder, comprising a back formed of rigid material, and leaf clamping members pivotally connected to said back and provided with portions that bear against the rear edges of some of the leaves.

ADOLPH RUBIN. 

